Amadito and the Hero Children/Amadito y los Niños Héroes

Lamadrid tells the story of a family living in New Mexico at the end of WWI during an influenza epidemic. Sequestered in their home, the family mourns the deaths of friends and neighbors, but Mamá Virginia also shares the hopeful story behind the smallpox vaccine, which was transported in the bodies of children. Córdova’s folk art–style acrylics are bright and evocative, though some readers may struggle with the somber subject matter and weighty text. Ages 9–up. (Sept.)